


Winners and Losers

by HannibabestheCannibabes



Category: Whitechapel (TV)
Genre: Angst, Crushes, First Kiss, Funeral, Grief/Mourning, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 07:17:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12360432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannibabestheCannibabes/pseuds/HannibabestheCannibabes
Summary: Kent has to deal with Morgan Lamb's after effects. Set at the end of S3 Ep6.





	Winners and Losers

**Winners and Losers**

‘I shouldn’t have been so harsh on you in your interview. I shouldn’t have spied on you. I guess being the bad cop isn’t really me.’

‘Perhaps it’s more you than you think.’ The apologetic smile on Kent’s face seemed to vanish as Morgan Lamb cocked her head, her own face smug. ‘You know it’s obvious why you dislike me, don’t you? That I could tell the minute I met you?’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘In fact, it’s frankly pathetic. You’re a police officer, and a grown man. To have a schoolboy crush is absurd.’

‘I don’t know what you…’

‘The little crush you have on DI Chandler.’ She smiled as she watched the officer grow red. ‘You can’t have thought you were keeping it well hidden, surely? It’s clearly the reason you dislike me so much, why you’re so desperate for me to be involved somehow.’

‘I came in here to apologise.’

‘The rest of your team knows, you are aware of that?’ She asked curiously. His silence seemed to answer her question. ‘Of course, they haven’t told you, but they know. I mean, on the most part, it’s beneficial for them. I can imagine you’re very willing to do extra work, all the little menial tasks you think will get you noticed. Hardly subtle. You give yourself away a little more in instances like this, though. All this insistence on behaving like a jealous teenager.’

Kent could feel his stomach churning, both in anxiety and anger. His hands were beginning to clench in an attempt to stop himself storming out of the room. ‘You’re mistaken.’

‘Joe doesn’t know yet,’ she said, noting the flicker in Kent’s eyes at the sound of the Inspector’s name. ‘But he will do, when I tell him. When we go on the date he finally got around to inviting me on, I will be telling him about you.’

He felt his heart stop, his head become light. It took everything in him not to just slump on the floor. ‘Why? Why would you…?’

‘Because you need to know this is how it works.’ Morgan Lamb sat forward as she spoke, her voice low. ‘In this situation, I win and you lose. And as I make Joe happier than he has ever been, you can sit home alone.’

* * *

 

The wind was cold, but at least the rain had stopped. The grass was still wet underfoot, but Chandler hardly seemed to notice. He didn’t notice anything, not the people staring in confusion as he practically barged his way past them, not the bitter tears that were spilling down his cheeks. Nothing asides for the sharp jolt as he snapped the elastic band around his wrist against his skin as he walked.

‘Sir. Sir.’

He was vaguely aware of someone behind him, but he stopped when he heard the shout. He turned just as DC Kent caught up with him. The sympathy on the officer’s face caused Chandler to wipe his cheeks self-consciously. Kent pretended not to notice.

‘I didn’t see you arrive, Kent.’ He tried to keep his voice steady, free from the irritation he felt at the sight of the other man at such a private moment.

‘I arrived late.’

‘To a funeral?’

The question came out more accusingly than the Inspector had intended, and Kent glanced down in embarrassment. ‘I couldn’t decide whether to actually come.’

‘Why did you?’ The two men fell into step as they continued the walk away from the church where, only half an hour before, Chandler had sat through the burial of Morgan Lamb. There were few mourners.

‘Skip asked me to. Said he didn’t want you coming alone.’ Kent had actually been the one to speak to Miles about attending, approaching him at work the previous day, but he decided to keep this to himself. ‘And I felt bad.’

‘Well you can tell Miles I’m fine.’ He fell silent, the two men still walking. The rain had started again, only a light drizzle, but enough to make Kent regret not bringing his umbrella. The Inspector stopped suddenly. ‘You should feel bad, Kent.’

‘Sir?’

‘You accused Morgan of being an accomplice in the murder of three people and deliberately lying and misleading police. You verbally attacked her in an interview after she had just been assaulted and you displayed clear bias against her. You should feel bad.’

‘I thought her story was suspicious. I just thought we needed to investigate it further.’ Kent could almost hear his heartbeat, his heart pounding so hard.

‘No. You displayed clear prejudice against her from the beginning of the case.’ Chandler accused, the anger he’d been keeping to himself at work since Morgan’s death finally spilling out. ‘Why? What was so wrong with her that it made you lose all sense of professionalism?’

The sight of her smug face in the station, the threats she made, seemed to swarm his mind. ‘She wasn’t a good person.’

‘That has nothing to do with you.’

‘You were going to get hurt, sir, and you couldn’t see it. Morgan was manipulative and deceitful and she was going to use you.’ He regretted his words almost instantly, watching as they caused Chandler’s face to darken, his eyes glint hard.

‘I already have Miles trying to act like my parent, I don’t need you to. I certainly don’t need you to.’ He began walking away, pulling hard at the band around his wrist, before stopping and turning again. ‘Why would you care, Kent? Why would you even care? It’s not your job to check up on who I may or may not be interested in. You’re a police officer, that’s all you need to do.’

‘I don’t want to see you hurt.’ _Frankly pathetic_. Morgan’s voice caused Kent to blush. He was almost grateful for the rain, heavy enough now to lessen the reddening of his cheeks.

‘Why though, Kent? Why do you care? Did you previous inspector get this same level of attention? Or does my whole team think I’m incapable of functioning like every other adult male can?’ His rage was tinged with something else, his own insecurity, his own sorrow, and his face was no longer frowning. He looked almost defeated. Kent felt himself weaken. ‘Why waste your time worrying about me?’

A million answers ran through his head. Yet he felt only one on his tongue _._ ‘I like you, sir.’

For all the momentum it took Kent to say the four words, the four words he had been terrified of ever saying, of accidentally blurting out when drunk, or tired,  the four words he had hoped never to say to the man before him,  the meaning was lost on the Inspector. His face was blank. ‘And?’

 _Fuck you, Morgan Lamb._ ‘And this.’ The four words were out now, their moment only fleeting, but Kent took it. He stepped forwards and leant up, placing a soft kiss on the lips of DI Joseph Chandler. His hand held Chandler’s cheek, skin warm despite the rain.

Chandler broke the kiss, stepping back, his face a combination of confusion and horror. The look felt like a blow to the officer’s stomach.

 ‘I’m so…sorry, sir.’ The Inspector was still silent. Kent felt tears forming in his eyes, slipping down his wet cheeks. _You’re a grown man._ ‘My resignation will be on your desk Monday morning.’

* * *

 

_Kissing Morgan Lamb had felt like peace. Like the soothing feeling of having tidied the office, and being able to simply sit, no worries there to distress. It had felt like the brief moment when the elastic snaps your wrist, clearing your mind of thought. It felt like a light piano melody, nothing too invasive, just enough._

_Moments like that kept Joe sane._

_Kissing Emerson Kent felt an epiphany. Kissing Kent felt like the moment when a clue changes an entire case, and reveals everything you had previously missed. Like reading the twist of a book to reread the beginning and find the signs were there all along. Like hearing a piece of music that changes your entire day._

_Moments like that kept Joe alive._

* * *

 

‘Kent, a word.’ DI Chandler stood at the door of his office, watching as Kent put down the file he was reading, and stood. In the office, the blinds were closed, and the Inspector ensured the door was shut behind them. He noticed Kent’s refusal to meet his eyes. ‘Your resignation letter was on my desk when I arrived this morning.’

‘As promised.’

‘You haven’t stated the reason for your resignation.’

‘I think I made that clear on Saturday.’ He met Joe’s eye briefly, his face flushed.

The two men sat in silence for a moment or so, before Chandler eventually said quietly, ‘I’m your boss, Kent.’

‘I know, sir.’

‘And I’m not gay.’

‘I know, sir.’

A pause. ‘And I can’t accept your resignation letter until we have a meeting to discuss it further.’ Chandler pushed the letter in front of him to the dark haired officer, who looked at him confused.

‘I thought that’s what this was.’

‘No, I was thinking somewhere else.’ A pause as Chandler prepared himself. Then for the second time only his life, he took the first step. ‘I was thinking over a drink, tonight, after work. And then we could discuss this further.’

Kent’s hand was still on the letter. Chandler reached across and covered it with his own.


End file.
